More Cyberattack Fears

The Associated Press reports today that the never-seen-before “ransomware” cyberattack that has already hit tens of thousands of victims in 150 countries could cause more damage after the weekend as people return to their workstations and power up their computers. Officials and experts are urging organizations and companies to update their operating systems immediately.

According to the report, the cyberattack infected systems that run Britain’s hospital network and Germany’s national railway. Europol spokesman Jan Op Gen Oorth told the AP that the over 200,000 victims included more than 100,000 organizations. He also said it was too early to say who was behind the onslaught and what their motivation was, aside from the obvious demand for money. He said not many people have paid the ransom demanded by the malware.